What did david crystal mean when he said language is polysemouse?

David Crystal didn't use the term "polysemouse". He likely meant polysemous, which describes a word having multiple meanings.

Here's a breakdown of what he likely meant:

* Polysemy: The phenomenon of a single word having multiple meanings.

* Language as polysemous: This implies that language is inherently flexible and adaptable, with words often having multiple interpretations depending on context.

Example: The word "bank" can refer to a financial institution, the edge of a river, or a slope.

Crystal's statement likely highlights the rich and complex nature of language, where words can be multi-faceted and subject to interpretation. He might be emphasizing that language is not simply a system of one-to-one word-meaning pairings but rather a dynamic and multifaceted system.